Julian Fellowes was an actor for 30 years. Then, by a quixotic trick of fate, his life changed overnight. There was no planning to it, he said. But when he created "Downton Abbey" and viewers couldn't get enough of it, he became one of England's most famous screenwriters
Now he's hoping for a similar response to "Belgravia." The six-part series on Epix takes place in the 19th century amid the glitterati of the era assembled in London's upscale neighborhood of Belgravia, which is, of course, filled with secrets and scandals.
Ever since drama school, acting has served as Fellowes' métier.
"I was a very hard worker at getting work," he said.
"I had a rule that I never let a 24-hour period go by without doing something to make work happen — either an interview, writing a letter, making a telephone call, going to a show so I was there on the first night — whatever it was.
"Looking back, I think I was a bit too desperate. I think I should've calmed down. When people ask: What would you tell your 25-year-old self? I always say, 'Calm down,' because I was pushing and pushing and pushing."
He got married in 1990.
"I don't know whether that made me less desperate, but that calmed me down, and I was very happy. And a year later, I was a father and suddenly the work side of it started to take off."